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In less than two weeks, the new campaign will begin in what will be the 94th La Liga season. Scheduled to commence on August 15 and conclude on May 25, 2025, you can expect a host of mouth-watering fixtures.
Real Madrid are defending champions after winning their 36th title following an impressive run during the 2023–24 season, where they also became UEFA Champions League title winners for the 15th time.
Getafe bade farewell to La Liga after a two-year stay in the top tier, while Granada were sent packing right after being promoted in the 2022–23 season. Cádiz also returned to the Segunda Division after a four-year stay in the top division.
Meanwhile, Valladolid returned to La Liga after a year’s absence, while Leganés joined Valladolid in the top tier after a four-year absence. Espanyol returned to Spain’s top tier after a season in the lower division.
Five managerial changes have occurred since the 2023–24 season came to an end. Club legend Xavi was surprisingly booted out of Barcelona after making a U-turn on an earlier decision to leave the club.
While you might have lost count of the number of coaches seen at Sevilla since the start of the previous season, once again, new manager García Pimienta will be leading the Sevillistas when they make their season debut against Las Palmas on August 16.
The race for the La Liga title is expected to be exciting once again. Who will win La Liga? Will Barcelona reclaim the title? Or will Real Madrid keep the crown and domestic bragging rights?
Bologna, Aston Villa, and Bayer Leverkusen turned heads in their respective domestic leagues as the surprise package, while Girona was La Liga’s candidate under the category last season.
Can Girona do it all over again despite losing La Liga’s top scorer? We know you can’t wait to find out! Join us as we try to answer some of the most prominent questions of the 2024–25 La Liga season.
WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES TO WIN LA LIGA?
Season after season, La Liga fans have seen a two-horse race. Last term, Real Madrid snatched the title with a ten-point lead over runners-up Barcelona. Surely, they will be looking to retain the title this term, knowing the Catalans will be their main rival once again.
While Vinícius Júnior is expected to have another standout season, to boost their title chances, Real Madrid completed one of the most talked-about transfers in the shape of Kylian Mbappe. The lengthy transfer saga had dragged on for months on end, drawing even the attention of French President Emmanuel Macron.
With their prized possession in the bag after a free transfer, the Whites will be keen to unleash him upon La Liga. And guess what? Madrid didn’t stop there!
Teenage sensation Endrick joined Madrid following a €47 million transfer deal from Palmeiras.
Having played with a false nine for the majority of last season, the 17-year-old centre forward is expected to become a prominent figure in Madrid’s attacking line-up.
Carlo Ancelotti, however, will be saddled with the burden of selecting a well-rounded side with Madrid’s unbelievable depth up front, an exercise he has become accustomed to performing so well.
Barcelona, on the other hand, has been the quieter side in the transfer market. However, with an ageing Robert Lewandowski, who failed to impress at Euro 2024 up front, they did add Pau Víctor permanently after a loan spell.
An untested but prized asset. The 22-year-old bagged a brace in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in a pre-season El Clásico.
Former Bayern Munich and German national team manager Hansi Flick will be keen to prove he is the man for the task to lead Barcelona to European football glory.
Flick will be counting on the likes of U23 Player of the Season (2023/24) Lamine Yamal, after a sensational outing at Euro 2024, where he led Spain to a record-fourth European title, to inspire his dream team to both domestic and continental glory.
However, he will be up against many, especially his domestic and biggest rivals, Real Madrid. We would be naive to think he wouldn’t become another casualty of Barcelona’s ruthless axe should he fail in his task.
Real Madrid and Barcelona will pit their wits against each other when the first episode of El Clásico comes around on the weekend of October 26–27, in a Matchday 11 fixture.
Both sides will meet again in what should be a decisive encounter at the tail end of the season in the second episode of El Clásico, which will be played in Barcelona on the weekend of May 10–11 as part of matchday 35.
Who will emerge on top? We will have to wait and see how it pans out.
Who will be in the top four?
As you can see, we didn’t even mention Atletico Madrid as a worthy contender for the La Liga title. The Diego Simeone side blew hot and cold last season, eventually settling for a 4th-place finish.
With Memphis Depay and Álvaro Morata having departed, ATL. Madrid appears to be a much weaker side compared to last season. And unless the Colchoneros produce consistent form this season, the conversation at the Metropolitano will be centred around a top-four finish.
They secured the services of centre-back Robin Le Normand, who had a less-than-impressive outing at Euro 2024. With Julián Álvarez tipped to join the side in an £82M deal, ATL Madrid could be one to watch out for. Our verdict? Don’t write off the Mattress Makers as they would likely challenge for the top three.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad will be looking to reclaim a spot in the top four after a sixth place finish last term. Sociedad will also be in the top four race with the likes of Betis and Athletic Club, who finished 5th last term.
Who will qualify for European places?
While many of our top four contenders will end up settling for European places, we expect Villarreal to challenge for continental football. The Yellow Submarine finished 8th last season after a tumultuous campaign.
While continuity continues to be a problem for Sevilla, new boss García Pimienta, who slipped into the role on June 2, will be keen to steer Los Nervionenses to European places. After a disastrously poor campaign that saw them finish in 14th place last term, Sevilla will be looking to finish inside the top eight this term.
Will Pimienta succeed? Or will he suffer the same fate as a few of his predecessors, who were shown the door without much thought?
Who will be the surprise package?
Surely you can recall when it appeared Girona were title contenders last season. However, head coach Míchel, who later received the Coach of the Season award (2023/24), had come out to quell the excitement in a bid to shield his team from any form of pressure.
Having lost last season’s top scorer, Artem Dovbyk to AS Roma after €30 million switched bank accounts following a handshake, it would be a surprise to see Girona put up another magical run this season.
They made additions in the shape of highly talented Bryan Gil on loan from Tottenham, while Donny van de Beek came in from Manchester United.
Will Girona surpass expectations this season after a 3rd-place finish last term? Or will one of the newly promoted sides between Leganés, Espanyol, and Valladolid become the star of the show?
Only time will tell.
Who will be La Liga’s top scorer?
Could you have guessed a player from Girona would finish as La Liga’s top scorer last season? While we congratulate Artem Dovbyk for the feat after 24 goals, we doubt if a similar scenario could repeat itself, considering the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick.
Alexander Sørloth came in next with 23 goals, while La Liga Player of the Season (2023/24) Jude Bellingham, who was one of the impactful youngsters of Euro 2024, came in joint-third with 19 goals alongside Robert Lewandowski.
What are your predictions? Could the top scorer come from Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Atletico Madrid?
Could our Predictions be correct?
While our prediction API offers far more accurate outcomes, we would like to know your opinion about our predictions. Do you see a two or three-horse race in La Liga?
Will Madrid keep the title? Or will Lamine Yamal lead Barcelona to domestic glory? Could Mbappe finish as the top scorer, or could he struggle like he did at the just-concluded European Championship with France?
So many questions, yet so few answers. Just like you, we will have to wait to find out.
While you await the answers, keep reading our blog. We write about new products, such as our xG, post-match reviews, and new features of our famous Football API, which offers 2,200 leagues, including an extensive coverage of the top five leagues.
Meanwhile, you can also check out similar previews covering the 2024–25 Premier League season, the Bundesliga and Serie A.
Dont forget to also check out the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League preview, which comes in a new format.
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